A handheld device that can instantly determine whether a suspicious white substance is an illicit drug – or something innocuous like flour – has been developed by Simon Lewis at Deakin University, Geelong.

Laboratory detective work has helped to identify the real culprit in causing illness from eating fish in southern and eastern Australia. Oil analysis of suspect fillets by Ben Mooney and colleagues of CSIRO Marine Research found the presumed culprit, rudderfish, innocent of all charges.

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